This post is for the aspiring leader. The person who hopes to lead one day. The person who feels they have something to offer but does not yet have the title. The person who can see opportunities to make things better but wonders whether it is their place.
One thing I have noticed over the years is that many people, particularly women, can feel as though they need permission before they perform the small behaviours that create a healthy culture.
Permission to organise. Permission to encourage. Permission to influence. Permission to lead.
But many of the most important leadership behaviours require no permission at all.
Take your one-to-ones, for example. Your manager is likely thinking about a hundred different things. One simple thing you can do is take ownership of the time you have together. Agree a meeting rhythm and then say, "That's okay. I'll put the meetings in the diary." It’s a small action. But small things communicate big messages. It says that you take your development seriously and that you value the relationship. It says that you are willing to take responsibility.
Leadership often starts there. Not with authority but with ownership.
You can also help shape the culture around you. Have you ever sat in a meeting and noticed that the most junior person in the room has not spoken once? Perhaps the next right thing is to gently create space for them. Perhaps it is checking in with them beforehand. Perhaps it is encouraging their contribution in meetings. Perhaps it is simply saying, "I'd be interested to hear what you think."
A healthy culture is rarely built by one person but is built by many small acts of encouragement repeated over time.
And then there is the importance of saying yes. Not to everything or to the point of exhaustion. But saying yes to opportunities that stretch you. The tasks that help you grow. The challenges that require you to learn something new. Say yes when it develops your capacity. And when you need help, ask for it. That is not weakness. That is teamwork.
There are countless small behaviours that distinguish aspiring leaders from people who are simply doing their jobs well.
They take ownership. They create space for others. They stretch themselves. They build healthy culture wherever they are.
Long before anyone gives them a leadership title.
Perhaps the next right thing is to stop waiting for permission to lead. You may already be doing more leadership than you realise.
#dothenexttrightthing
